


Time Changes Everything: Ten Seconds

by musesinspiration



Series: Time Changes Everything [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Legion (2010)
Genre: F/M, Gen, prompt: 10 I Love You
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-01
Updated: 2012-08-01
Packaged: 2017-11-11 04:37:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/474594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musesinspiration/pseuds/musesinspiration
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dawn Summers never thought she’d change her mind so quickly</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ten Seconds

_Ten seconds was all it took._

_There were some who would have said that Dawn Summers lacked conviction; that she was too easily swayed. They would have argued that had she truly believed what she claimed, ten seconds would have never been enough time to change her mind._

_In fact, eleven seconds ago, Dawn would have said the same thing had she witnessed someone changing his or her mind so quickly. She would have looked down her nose in quiet disdain and stated that nothing would cause her to let go of her convictions so easily. She would have turned her back in disgust and walked away, never once looking back. That was… until she saw something that shook her to her core and made her question everything she had learned to believe in through her own, rather extensive, personal experiences._

*~*~*~*~*

Dawn looked down at her gas gauge and sighed deeply. She was trying to make her way to Scottsdale, Arizona to check out a Potential that the Council had recently learned of. She’d leapt at the chance to get out of Los Angeles and away from Spike and Angel. The two of them had been driving her crazy lately with the bickering and brooding that they were indulging in. The opportunity for escape presented itself in the form of a fax that had been misdirected to Angel Investigations. Apparently, someone at the Outpost didn’t pay attention to their contact information in Outlook. That didn’t stop her from immediately responding and stating that she would go right away and find the girl. The Council, having plenty of practial experience in dealing the Summers women, came to a unanimous agreement to allow Dawn her way rather deal with a Summers’ temper.

They had survival instincts after all.

Once Dawn had the approval and the Council credit card, she was packed and out the door, taking Angel’s black BMW X5-48i. If she was making the drive from California to Arizona, through the desert, she was going in luxury and style. Besides, it had a Bose surround sound system and a GPS that talked. Who could really blame her?

The drive through California and into Nevada had been uneventful. Dawn decided to take a different route than the map suggested, simply because she wanted to extend the trip as much as possible. Once she hit Las Vegas, she decided to get off the main path, take some back roads, and enjoy the scenery along the way. This was why she was in the predicament she currently found herself in. Had she really thought about it, she would have realized that driving through the desert in a gas guzzling SUV was not the smartest decision she had ever made. She was almost out of a gas and had a sneaking suspicion that she was going to be hard pressed to find a gas station out in the middle of nowhere.

Grabbing her road map, she lowered her sunglasses to the bridge of her nose and began frantically scanning the roads around her to find a place to stop. She was so engrossed in reading the map that she almost missed the large billboard on the side of the road that informed her that Paradise Falls was the last place to stop for gas for a very long time. Glancing at her map and not seeing anyplace named ‘Paradise Falls’, or any other town for a quite a ways, she figured she had better stop there and get gas.

Spying the gas station, she was dismayed to see the state of the place. It was rundown, in need of more than just cosmetic repairs and if it hadn’t been for the vehicles parked out in front of the diner, she would have thought the place was closed and abandoned. She wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to stop, but the dinging of the gas gauge indicating that she needed gas right then made the decision for her. Slowing down, she pulled into the parking lot, such as it was, and stopped the SUV, putting it in park. Glancing around, she didn’t see any immediate threats, grabbed her purse, and stepped out into the chilly breeze blowing through the desert.

It might have been December, but it was still warmer than expected and Dawn reached back into the vehicle and tugged her sweater out and quickly pulled it on with a shiver. She locked the door and walked towards the front entrance of the diner, pausing when her gaze swept over the horizon in the direction she would soon be traveling. In the distance was a dark cloud, slowly covering the Eastern sky where the mountains began. Eyes narrowing, Dawn felt a slight shiver dance down her spine as a sense of foreboding swept over her. Not sure what was causing the uneasiness; she shook her head slightly and opened the door, stepping into the diner.

*~*~*~*~*

Sitting down in the last booth available, Dawn took in the atmosphere of the diner. The cook was in the kitchen, scolding the man banging on the television in an effort to get a better signal of a classic Christmas movie. There was a very pregnant waitress running around trying to look busy but failing miserably and a couple sitting in another booth, quietly arguing. If the hissed conversation was any indication, the wife was Sandra, the man was Howard and the daughter they were arguing about was Audrey. She saw a younger girl standing at the jukebox, wearing clothes that were definitely not appropriate for the weather outside, studying the music in the machine. Obviously, that was Audrey. The inside of the place really didn’t look much better than the outside, but at least she could get something to eat, get some gas and make a few phone calls.

Remembering that she needed to call the new Potential’s watcher, Dawn reached over and dug her cell phone out of her purse. As she dialed the number, she realized she had no signal and sighed. Of course, there was no signal. That would have made things easy. Tossing the phone back into the purse, she peered over at the Specials menu and couldn’t help but shake her head. Obviously, these people were not from California. Steak, burgers, fries... Greasy was the special of the day. 

“Have you decided what you want?” a female’s voice said from behind her. Dawn started slightly in her seat at the sound and turned quickly to see that it was the waitress. Glancing at her nametag, Dawn nodded. “Hey... Charlie?” Dawn greeted her. After the waitress’s nod, Dawn looked over at the menu on the wall again and figured that since she was on a pseudo-vacation, she’d live a little. “I’ll have a cheese burger, no onions and some fries.” She watched as Charlie wrote down the order.

“Is that it?” Charlie asked. Dawn nodded and watched as Charlie stuck her pen behind her ear. “Percy is taking his time today on his cooking…” she raised her voice on the last few words and the cook, who was obviously Percy, just turned and waved her off. “It should be done shortly.”

“Not a problem. I’m not in a big hurry… just thought I’d get some gas and some food.” Dawn paused for a moment as she remembered the issue with the cell phone. “Hey, I have a question… do you guys just not have cell reception out here?” Charlie looked at her, puzzled. “I’m just wondering, because I tried to use my phone just a few minutes ago and there was no signal.” She clarified.

Charlie shook her head. “No, we always have signal here.” She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s about the only thing we do have around here.” She turned as the man banging on the TV started cursing again. “Hey, Bob!” Charlie waited for a response, but the man just kept cursing and banging on the TV, which was now showing the off-station signal. “Bob!” She called louder.

Still not getting a response, she sighed and turned back to Dawn. “As soon as I can get him to stop beating on the TV, I’ll ask him. The guy driving that big black SUV said he was having the same problem, too. Weird.”

Dawn smiled and thanks and then watched as she walked off, heading towards the grill area. She felt another shiver go down her spine; they usually had cell reception and now they didn’t. The TV station was off air… Dawn had been around long enough to know that these were not good signs. She really rather wished that the Percy dude would hurry it up, because she had a bad feeling that something Not Good was going on at this backwoods – desert – whatever, diner.

Her fears were soon confirmed when Bob the Banger turned on the radio and all that came out was static. Feeling a sense of urgency, Dawn looked up at Charlie as she placed her order in front of her and asked, “Hey! Do you think you could put this in a to-go bag? I really need to get going.” Charlie raised an eyebrow at the request. “Uh…” Dawn glanced out the window and saw that the dark cloud was now covering a good portion of the horizon. It was time to go. Now. “I just really need to get back on the road.” She started gathering her things. “Please? The check?”

Charlie sighed and picked up the plate. “I’ll have the check right out to you.” She turned and headed back to the counter. Dawn could tell she was saying something to the cook, but at the moment, it wasn’t her main concern. Percy could spit in it for all she cared, just as long as she was out of there in the next two seconds.

Seeing Charlie coming back to her booth with the bag of food and the check, Dawn dug out some money and stood. She handed Charlie the bills and took the bag. “Keep the change. It’s your tip.” Charlie nodded and began walking back to the where the grill area was located.

Dawn slung her bag over her shoulder and took a last glance around to make sure she had everything. Nodding goodbye to everyone, she breathed a sigh of relief. For once, she was getting out before all hell broke loose; it was a nice change. Turning towards the door, she froze as the bell tinkled and someone entered. The wave of wrongness that swept over her nearly caused her to black out and she had to brace herself with her free hand against the back of Sandra’s seat.

Forcing herself, Dawn lifted her head and made herself face whatever had just come in through the door. Confusion made her head swim when the old woman with a walker tottering in. She would have completely dismissed her had it not been for the suffocating aura of Really Bad that now permeating the air. Of course, it really didn’t make her feel any better when the old woman peered at her and gave her a knowing smirk.

Heart pounding, Dawn backed up and practically fell back into the booth that she had just vacated, making sure she was facing where the old lady had seated herself. Sensing someone near her, she glanced to the side and saw that Audrey had slid into the booth when she had stood up. Holding up a hand to stem the question that was forming on Audrey’s face, she turned her attention back to the woman who was now giddily carrying on a conversation with Sandra. 

She really wanted to tape Sandra’s mouth shut when she started talking to the woman. Dawn really couldn’t care less that the woman’s name was Gladys; if anything that freaked her out even more. An innocent name like that hiding something so wrong just seemed… inappropriate. Keeping half an ear out where the conversation was concerned, Dawn began rummaging around in her purse until her closed over the flask of holy water she always kept on hand. Moving slowly, she placed the flask on her lap. Buffy insisted that she keep some form of weapon on her at all times and Dawn now agreed that it never hurt to be prepared.

The exchange seemed fairly innocuous up until Gladys asked Charlie where the father of the baby was. Right after Charlie stated that she didn’t need a man (amen, sister) something in the atmosphere changed, became darker. For the first time, everyone else seemed to become aware of it as well.

“But your baby is going to burn.” Gladys said, smiling.

“What?” Charlie practically screamed.

“I said, your fucking baby is going to burn.” Gladys chortled out.

“Go to hell, lady!” Charlie snarled and threw the check down, storming off. Dawn could hear her mutter something about a Jesus freak as she passed Bob and Jeep, but couldn’t make out anything else she said.

Dawn focused solely on what was currently happening at the table on the other side of the diner. Everything narrowed down to a pinpoint of view as Dawn listened to Gladys laugh happily about how ‘all the little babies are going to burn’. Sandra started admonishing the old woman, but Dawn wasn’t really paying attention to anything the dark haired woman said. Dawn definitely tuned in when the old woman responded.

Voice changing and booming with an echo, Gladys snarled out, “Shut up, you fucking cunt! All you do is complain, complain, and complain!”

Dawn’s attention was pulled away, however, when Howard jumped up from his chair, anger written all over his face. Leaping up from the booth and racing towards him as he stormed over to the woman. He was in a dangerous situation and he wasn’t prepared at all.

“Howard, no!” Dawn screamed, running between the tables, readying herself for the inevitable attack. She skidded to a halt when Gladys’ face suddenly morphed and her spindly body lurched forward, viciously biting into Howard’s neck. Throwing him backwards, the old woman stood up from the table, her bloody snarl morphing into a grin that chilled everyone to the bone. Tuning everything else out, Dawn opened the flask and threw the water onto the woman. Drenched, Gladys jumped back with another more guttural snarl before starting forward again, the holy water seeming to only startle and doing nothing to slow her down.

Shocked at the lack of effect that the holy water had shown, Dawn instinctively ducked. A cast iron pan sailed over her head and hit the thing that was Gladys, jaw audibly breaking with a sickening crunch. Bllood spewing from the mortal wound on the side of her head, the old woman landed out of sight and Dawn was unable to see if Gladys was actually dead or not.

Following events unfolded so quickly that Dawn didn’t have a chance to fully register them. When things settled, she could only vaguely recall the shotgun in Bob’s hands firing repeatedly, the screams as Gladys leapt onto the wall and scrambled across the ceiling. Dawn had a faint memory of Bob being thrown across the room and the gun flying over her head to land in front of his son, Jeep. What did stand out in full clarity, however, was Jeep grabbing the shotgun and then freezing, unable to pull the trigger as Gladys advanced upon him.

Dawn, realizing that Gladys had spotted a weakness and was about to exploit it, sprang into action. Racing through the maze of overturned tables and chairs, she threw herself in front of Jeep, desperately trying to block the attack. Falling into a fighting stance that came as naturally as breathing, Dawn was completely unprepared from the sharp staccato bursts of a high-caliber pistol being fired in rapid succession.

She could only watch in confused shock as Gladys fell to the ground, dead. She had never seen anything like it and was at a loss as to how to explain it. Bullets should have had no effect on a demon. She looked at the black man holding the pistol with shaking hands and nodded in grateful acknowledgement of him saving her life.

Sandra’s screams for help finally registering, Dawn shook herself out of her stupor and focused on the current situation. Racing over to Howard, she dropped to her knees and grabbed the towels that Percy was bringing from the kitchen. Pressing them firmly to the gushing wound, she instructed Sandra to continue applying pressure. Sitting back on her heels, Dawn wiped her forehead with the back of her hand in a futile attempt to remove the sweat that she had worked up. She grimaced when she saw the blood all over them and knew from previous experience with the Slayers that Howard was going to be lucky if he survived. Assessing the situation, she knew that his only chance was going to be immediate medical attention.

Standing, Dawn turned to Bob. “He needs a hospital, now!” She glanced at her watch, mentally calculating how much longer Howard had based on how much blood he was losing. “He doesn’t have much time! Where’s the closest place he can go?” She waited for an answer impatiently, but Bob was in shock and wasn’t hearing what she was asking. “Bob!” Not hearing her, Dawn tried again. “Bob!” she shouted louder, “He needs a hospital! Where is it?”

Finally getting through, Bob turned to her and his eyes cleared as he processed what she was asking. “There…” his voice cracked and he cleared his throat. “There’s one in El Reyes.”

Dawn frowned in dismay. She had seen the town on her map and based on where she was guessing Paradise Falls was that town was almost 45 miles away. She wasn’t sure Howard had that much time, but it was worth a shot.

Turning to the black man who had shot Gladys, Dawn waved a hand to get his attention. Seeing that she had it, she asked, “Hey! What’s your name?”

“Kyle.” He responded, voice slightly shaking.

“OK, Kyle… Is that your truck out there? The big black one?” He nodded. “All right…” she gestured towards the couple on the floor. “He needs to get to a hospital and you have the only vehicle big enough to do it. He needs to lie down.” Dawn ordered.

Kyle recognized the voice of someone who had taken charge and nodded while fishing his keys out of his pocket. “OK!” He turned to the rest of the group. “Let’s get him loaded up!” He rushed to the door, slinging it open. “Let’s get moving people!”

Dawn watched impassively as the group carried Howard out to the truck and loaded everyone up into it. It wasn’t the first time she had been in this scene; she was pretty sure she knew how it was going to end. She kept her gaze on them until they pulled out of the parking lot with a screech of tires and cloud of dust. Seeing that they were on their way, she went back into the diner. Not giving the corpse on the floor a glance, she headed back to the restrooms.

Scrubbing her hands free of the now dried blood, Dawn went over the events that had just taken place. She had experienced many things over the years; she had witnessed demons, ghosts, pagan deities… but they had never been like the old woman out in the dining area. The holy water had no effect and that had been unexpected. Plain bullets should have only slowed her down; they shouldn’t have killed her. Gladys had obviously been supernatural; Dawn hadn’t seen any humans climbing walls and crawling across ceilings lately. Nevertheless, what was she? Holy water hadn’t worked… A cold shiver ran down her spine as she spun around and raced to the booth where she had left her bag. Dumping the contents out onto the table, she searched through and grabbed the small crucifix that Giles had given her.

Walking over to where the corpse lay, Dawn squatted down and placed the crucifix against Gladys’ head. She frowned when after several moments there was no reaction from the holy relic being on the woman. Turning slightly, Dawn looked around and spied a piece of a chair that had splintered off during the chaos and grabbed it. Taking a deep breath, she shoved the stake into the dead woman’s body and was even more perplexed when nothing happened.

“What in the hell are you doing?” Bob yelled from behind her, causing her to jump in surprise.

Looking up at him, Dawn debated what to say. She decided to go with the truth; it wasn’t as if she could deny that something weird had just happened here. “I’m trying to figure out what she is.”

Jeep walked up beside his father. “What?”

“She’s not human.” Dawn stood up and dusted her hands off on her pants legs. She looked down at the corpse. “And it’s not a demon.” She stated firmly.

“Right.” Bob said sarcastically. “And you would know that how exactly?”

Dawn smiled. If only he knew the truth. “Trust me. I’d know.” She rubbed her forehead, trying desperately to stave off the headache that was starting behind her eyes.

Jeep edged closer to the body and asked, “OK, what is it then?”

“Honestly? I don’t know.” Dawn began pacing, thinking. She mentally went through the list of creatures and beings that she had researched over the years, ticking off each one as she recalled weaknesses and methods of killing them. In the midst of her furious thoughts, the diner door flew open and the group that had only recently left came rushing back in, carrying a still bleeding Howard.

“Why the hell are you back here?” Bob roared, furious. “He needs a hospital!”

Everyone began talking at once, explaining what had happened. They were all yelling to be heard over each other, but Dawn caught one voice and she froze as a thought crossed her mind.

“Hey!” she called out. When no one acknowledged her, she tried again. “Hey!” she raised her voice. Still no one paid any attention while Bob yelled, Sandra cried, and Kyle tripped over his words to explain as Percy paced back and forth frantically. Dawn finally lost her temper and placed two fingers in her mouth, letting out a sharp whistle that caused everyone to stop what they were doing and stare at her.

“Thank you!” she huffed out. “Now, Audrey… you said something that concerned the cloud out there. What was it?”

Audrey looked out the window and pointed. “No need to explain; see for yourself.”

Dawn walked to the window and looked to see what Audrey was talking about. She felt the blood drain from her face as she observed what had everyone so upset. Arriving in a swarm of hundreds of thousands it seemed, locusts flew all around the building. She could hear them slamming into the walls and windows with solid thuds and at that moment, Dawn’s world turned upside down.

Evil had a face; it came in the form of vampires, demons, weres… These were known facts. She had spent the better part of her life living it, seeing it, researching it. She knew that there were powers beyond her comprehension that were always at work behind the scenes, shaping everyone’s fates. She knew Hell existed; she had lived over its entrance for years. She knew Heaven existed; her sister had been there. She had a belief system that had always been firmly in place through all of her life, based on personal experiences. However, in ten seconds, that entire system was ripped and twisted upside down, destroyed. She knew there was no denying the truth.

Evil had a new face.

Pointing to Gladys, heart pounded. “That is not a demon.” She stated emphatically.

Percy, holding his bible tight, whispered, “What is it?”

Dawn, staring out the window watching as the locusts left as quickly as they appeared, softly spoke. “That’s an angel.”


	2. Ten Minutes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten minutes can change a lifetime

Dawn stood on the roof of the diner, staring out over the darkened Arizona desert. The stars stood out in stark contrast against the midnight black sky, brighter than she had ever seen before. The night was dry but cooler than it had been that afternoon and she shivered as a slight breeze caused goose bumps and she pulled her sweater tighter around her. Shifting her weight, she frowned as the shoulder strap of the MP5 slipped slightly and rested uncomfortably against her neck. Readjusting it, she allowed her gaze to drift over to the four men who were up on the roof with her.

The diner owner, Bob, looked tired. The fear made him alert, however. His hands were tight on his weapon, eyes wide and constantly scanning the area for any additional threats. What made her nervous, however, was the lack of dependability that she sensed from him. He could be a danger to their safety; she’d need to keep a close watch on him.

The cook, Percy, was up there as well. Dawn’s suspicions had been confirmed when it was made common knowledge that he was former military; Marines to be exact. He had lost his hand pushing a battle buddy out of the way of a grenade. Dawn had a lot of respect for that. She was fairly certain that Percy would do what was needed when the time came. He had a solid, dependable feel to him that reminded her of Giles.

The other black guy, Kyle, she had some reservations about. It was for entirely different reasons than the ones she had about Bob. She could tell by the way that he had handled his weapon earlier that he was not used to high stress situations where split second decisions were the deciding factors between the group surviving or dying. There was a chance he would be an asset in this nightmare of a situation they found themselves in; he didn’t know what to expect and so he’d be more alert and fear always made you respond quicker. On the other hand, he was completely untested in a combat setting and that made Dawn decidedly uncomfortable. She had learned that knowing your comrades’ strengths and weaknesses made the group as a whole a better fighting unit. She had no idea what any of these people could do.

Except for one. That one, she had a pretty good idea about.

Dawn let her gaze rest on the last member of their little squad and quickly looked away when she saw that he was watching her with an indiscernible look in his eyes. Michael. Now there was a surprise. The others hadn’t made the connection yet, but she had a pretty good idea that he was The Michael. Archangel, Leader of His Legions… He was impressive and imposing and Dawn knew that if she were honest with herself, she’d admit he was really hot. However, since this was an angel and she did believe in Heaven and all of that, she really didn’t want to admit to any of those thoughts.

The others were wary of him. Audrey had whispered when Michael had first walked through the door that he was probably there to kill them, too. Dawn had been thrown off of her game a little, since it’s not every day that one if confronted with an Archangel and she had almost passed out from the wave of ‘different-ness’ that rolled off of him. Once she was able to get herself gathered together, Dawn had reassured the girl that if he had wanted them dead, she was pretty sure they would have already been gone. It didn’t change the fact that she still didn’t know what to expect at all and still had no real idea as to what was going on.

Sighing, she moved closer to the group. Michael nodded to her and she gave a small twitch of the lips to acknowledge it. Waving her hand to encompass the group, she gave voice to the question what everyone was wondering. 

“What in the hell is going on here exactly, Michael?” she demanded.

“They want Charlie dead.” He said flatly.

Dawn rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that really clears it all up. Thanks.” Sighing, she looked down at her feet and then looked back up at Michael. “I get that part, ok? What I don’t get is _why_?”

“That’s not important right now.” He looked out over the expanse of land surrounding them, narrowing his eyes. “Right now, we need to keep her safe.”

Dawn heaved a deep sigh. She got it; she wasn’t going to get anywhere with him right now. However, she had to get in a parting shot anyways. She wouldn’t be Dawn if she didn’t. “For the record, the whole ‘lack of details’ thing you have going on? – it really annoys the living crap out of me.” Sticking her nose up in the air, she turned and started to stalk off just to let him know that she was upset with him when a thought occurred to her.

Whirling around, she asked, “If she’s so important… if Charlie is so vital and needs to be protected, doesn’t she need someone down there with her? To be kept safe?”

“She has Jeep down there with her.” Percy said, breaking his silence first the first time since they had come up on the roof.

Dawn couldn’t contain the snort, but she was able to keep it quieter than it would have been. “He can’t pull the trigger…” looking over at Bob, she flushed a little, “no offense, Bob.” Bob waved her off, nodding. “He couldn’t pull the trigger when he needed to, he froze. That’s something that you can’t just ignore.”

Bob frowned, a faintly disappointed look on his face. He nodded and cleared his throat. “She’s right.” He shrugged when Percy shot him a shocked look. “Jeep is Jeep; nothin’s gonna change that. He’s safe… he’s not a hero.”

“I think I should go down there.” Dawn said, turning towards the roof access. “I think that would be best.”

“No.”

The one word order caused everyone to stop and immediately turn to the source. Michael stood there, fierce and in charge. Dawn glared at him; she was so not impressed.

Kyle finally broke the deafening silence and asked the question that all three of the men were wondering. “Why not?”

“We’re going to need her up here.” Michael said, clearly not intending to give any additional reasons.

“She’s just a kid!” Bob protested. Dawn opened her mouth to argue but snapped it shut at a look from Michael.

“She’s an asset.” Michael responded. “She’s more experienced than any of you. We’re going to need her.” Finished, he turned and walked over to the other side of the large ‘Paradise Falls’ neon light on top of the diner and began stashing weapons where they could be easily reached. He was obviously finished with his brief forthcomingness episode.

Dawn figured she’d better just give in gracefully. He wasn’t going to let her off the roof; that much had been made clear. It would be better to just accept it and start figuring out the weaknesses that could be exploited by the enemy; not that she was clear as to who the enemy was exactly. She did know, however, that there were many ways that the enemy could break through. 

These people here, they weren’t Slayers and Watchers. They hadn’t been trained as warriors expected to fight to the death. They had no clue what they were dealing with or how to fight it. She knew she was good in combat. Buffy, Faith and Xander had made sure that if she went down; she would take as many of the enemy down with her as she could. This situation was different though. This time, she was expected to help lead these people in the battle she knew was coming. Michael had information she needed. Forewarned was forearmed as Giles was always saying.

Mind made up, Dawn marched over to where Michael was placing the last of his weapons and stationed herself directly in front of him, hands on her hips. He looked at her from where he had been kneeling down on the rooftop and sighed before standing up. His gaze flicked over her stance, her attitude and raised an eyebrow in question.

“So…” she started, “what aren’t you telling them, Michael?” She met his gaze head-on, not backing down an inch. “Is there something you’re not telling them?”

Michael glanced a way for a moment before looking back at her with a gaze that was so intense, Dawn had to fight not to take a step backwards. “No.”

She weighed his answer for a moment. “I don’t believe you.” She watched his lips twitch into a slight smirk and for some reason that irritated her to the point of wanting to hit him. Nevertheless, she made herself focus. “This isn’t my first time to the dance, you know? I can’t help them if I don’t have the whole story.”

Michael studied her for a long moment and then nodded. “You’re right, of course.” He looked out towards the mountains, frowning. “The child is what’s important.” He looked back at Dawn. “They will kill Charlie to prevent him from being born.”

Dawn narrowed her eyes, thinking over what he had said. “No. There’s more to this.” Things weren’t adding up. “What’s your part in all of this, Michael?”

He looked down at his feet and heaved a deep sigh. At that moment, she knew. She knew why he was there.

“Oh Goddess!” she breathed out, shock washing through her and leaving her breathless. She started mentally berating herself for not catching it sooner. “It’s you! You were the one He sent to kill her!” She backed away, hand tightening on the rifle still slung over her shoulder. “He sent _you_ to do the job, didn’t He?”

Michael nodded; hands held up and out to show no threat, a look of sadness clouding his eyes. “Yes, but I disobeyed.” He met her eyes with a pleading look. “I couldn’t do it. _He_ may have lost faith in them, but I haven’t.”

Dawn watched him closely, debating within herself about he had told her. Not entirely sure why she should, she believed him, that he was telling her the truth. She then did a double take when she realized what he had said. Them. He had said ‘them’; not you, but ‘them’.

She saw that Michael was watching the emotions play across her face and quickly looked away. She was uncomfortable, but she was at a loss as to what she should do. Before when she was in this position, she was in the process of being kidnapped or having rituals performed on her.

“Relax, Dawn.” Michael soothed. “For once, you’re not the important one.”

Unsure if she should be relieved or insulted, Dawn asked, “You know who I am?”

Michael nodded. “Yes.”

Dawn waited for more of an acknowledgement, but quickly realized she wasn’t going to get one. “You know what I am?”

“Yes, Dawn.” He sighed. “Through the many parallels, you are one of the few that have maintained your form.” He looked at her with a sudden intensity in his gaze. “I will always know you.”

Dawn frowned at the statement and was about to ask what he meant when she saw him suddenly tense and focus his gaze out onto the horizon. Turning, she searched the darkened vastness for what had him on such concentrated alert. Her frown deepened as she couldn’t detect anything out of the ordinary and opened her mouth to ask what was wrong when she heard something odd.

Breaking the still silence of the desert night was a distinct jingle Dawn had long since come to the conclusion was a constant in the universe. It was the music that caused children to laugh in glee and parents to go crazy. However, she was having some issues with understanding why there was an ice cream truck approaching. 

Rushing over to the edge of the roof where the other men were standing and with Michael close on her heels, Dawn peered out and her jaw dropped. She hadn’t been mistaken; speeding towards them was an ice cream truck. Its lights were blinking and she could hear the music blaring its obscene icy happiness.

“You have got to be fuckin’ kidding me!” Kyle breathed in disbelief.

Dawn shook her head. “Don’t be fooled.” She cautioned.

Bob glanced at her and then shifted his focus back to the truck that was almost upon them. “C’mon! It’s the ice cream man… How scary can he be?”

Dawn snorted. “You’d be surprised.”

“Get ready.” Michael interrupted.

He picked up the MP5 and the others followed suit, Dawn unslinging hers and allowing her body to fall into a shooting stance. She listened as Michael began instructing the others in the use of their weapons.

“Alright. There's a safety switch on the side of your gun. Push it all the way down. Two clicks.” The men did as they were told and then stood still, awaiting further instructions. Michael nodded in approval and then continued, “Now when this starts, you hold on tight, you hear me? If you don't, you're going to blow your hand off. Understand?” 

They all turned and looked at Percy for a moment.

“What the fuck you lookin’ at me for?” Percy demanded, indignant.

Dawn shrugged and then looked back at the truck that was now coming to a stop in front of the diner. “I’m just sayin’ is all…”

“Well, keep your sayin’ to yourself, goddammit.” He huffed as he shot her a look she caught from the corner of her eye and she let out a chuckle. Bracing the assault rifle against her shoulder, the comforting weight of it held firmly against her, she prepared for what was going to emerge from the vehicle. She knew it wasn’t going to be good and she was ready and in full combat mode.

The creature crawled out from the truck, its limbs unnaturally long and Dawn knew right away that it wasn’t human. Not hesitating for a second, she opened fire, a spray of spent shells falling at her feet. She could hear Bob and Percy screaming at her to stop, but the creature suddenly changed and showed its true form. Its limbs lengthened further, the face elongating just before it dropped to all fours and began racing towards the building.

Dawn, still firing in an attempt to kill the abomination that was speeding their direction, heard Michael open fire as well. This seemed to shake the others out of their immobility and they began firing their weapons, a hail of gunfire raining down upon the creature. She could see it taking shots to the main body, yet still it galloped towards them. Resting her cheek against the high-powered rifle, Dawn relaxed her body and slowed her breathing. Taking quick and careful aim, she pulled the trigger and allowed her body to rock back, absorbing the recoil from the round leaving the barrel of the weapon. She watched in satisfaction as the being fell back, dead, a bullet wound in the center of its forehead. Xander would have been beside himself with pride.

Sucking in a breath, her shoulder aching from the unfamiliar use of an explosive shell loaded firearm, Dawn lowered the MP5 and glanced around. Making sure that her comrades in arms were focused and alert, she allowed herself a moment of rest and relaxed her stance. She could see that Bob was shaking, probably due to stress and shock. Percy’s eyes had a distant look in them; glancing at his dog tags once again, she surmised that he was most likely lost in ghostly memories. She shifted her gaze to Kyle and was startled to see that while obviously shaken and confused, he was in the process of already reloading his weapon. Chambering a round into the barrel of the handgun, he looked up and caught Dawn’s nod of approval and reassuring him with a smile. She then turned her attention to the expanse of desert surrounding them and what she saw made her tense in dismay.

Looking down the span of road that crossed in front of Paradise Falls, all lanes crowded from being used, were the headlights of hundreds of cars bearing down on them.

“Dammit!” Dawn spat out. “It totally reconned us!”

Michael nodded in agreement, his face set in stony silence as he observed the scene unfolding before them. Bringing up his rifle he yelled out as he opened up on the cars and trucks, “Don’t let them get near the windows!”

Sprays of bullets began breaking the stillness of the night as they opened fire on the creatures rushing toward them. Shell casings pouring down around their feet, the group on the roof fought for their lives. Where Bob, Percy and Kyle were essentially panic firing into the crowd and getting lucky shots in here and there, Dawn and Michael were methodically and efficiently picking their targets. Michael was a soldier, born and bred for the fight; Dawn had the blood of generations of Slayers running through her veins and had spent the better part of a decade fighting the denizens of evil. They were weapons of death and they used this knowledge against the hordes of creatures racing toward them.

Firing off the last round of ammunition from her rifle, Dawn threw it to the ground and caught the pistol that Michael tossed to her. Aiming and firing, she lost herself in the haze of battle. Everything faded out of focus as she concentrated on the deadly rhythm of firing, dropping the clip, slamming a new one in and then repeating the process over and over. She was brought out of her trance when she saw that several of the creatures had broken through the barrage of gunfire and were closing in on the building. Yelling to be heard over the continuous volley of shots, Dawn managed to get Michael’s attention.

“They’re going for the windows!” She yelled. “I’ve gotta get down there!”

Michael signaled that he heard her while he was racing to where he had placed the grenade launcher. “Don’t let them in!” he ordered.

Dawn threw a thumbs up to indicate her acknowledgement of the instruction and practically threw herself down the roof access and onto the main floor of the diner. Racing through the storage area and dodging the shelving units in the kitchen, she ran to the eating area. Breathing hard, she slammed a fresh clip into the pistol and crashed through the swinging doors.

As she hurtled into the room, she realized she was already too late. The windows had been broken through and the angels were scrambling for Charlie. Thankfully, Dawn saw the pregnant girl was safely out of reach, the handgun that Michael had given her out and ready to fire. The creatures, seeing that they couldn’t reach Charlie, settled instead for Howard and started pulling him through the broken glass. Leaping over the upturned tables and chairs, Dawn opened fire on the angels as she raced towards them.

Fear and anger lanced through her when she saw Charlie suddenly jump forward and try to help drag Howard back in. Spying an opportunity, one of the angels released their hold on the man and grabbed Charlie’s arm. The girl screamed as she was pulled through the window.

“Jeep!” Dawn screamed. “Get Charlie! Don’t let them pull her out of the diner!”

Jeep immediately leapt forward and grabbed one of Charlie’s arms in a bruising grip. Bracing himself, he yanked her back, falling into a deadly game of tug of war. Charlie fought like a wildcat, screaming, scratching and punching in an attempt to get away from the angel that was still trying to haul her through the window. Dawn, reaching the table where the battle was taking place, jumped up onto the table and slid across, using her feet against the windowsill to stop herself. Aiming the pistol directly at the creature’s head, she pulled the trigger only to hear the empty click of a misfire.

Pale and sweating, she threw the weapon to the side and stood up on the table. Raising her foot and thanking the gods that she had decided to wear her combat boots; Dawn slammed her foot down onto the arm trying to pull Charlie out of the building. Raising her foot again and again, Dawn stomped on the arm with all of the force she could muster, but the hand would not release the girl. She could hear the bones breaking with sickening crunches, but the grip never loosened. She growled, baring her teeth as her foot changed directions and smashed the steel toe into the creature’s temple. The crunch of a fracturing skull sounded and it let go, half of its skull caved in, but another had gripped Charlie tight and continued to pull on her. This one had a longer reach and Dawn would have to extend her leg through the window frame, limiting the force of her blows and exposing her to the other creatures crowding the opening to get their hands on Charlie.

Beginning to run out of options, Dawn breathed a sigh of relief when Michael appeared beside her. She watched as he dispatched the angel with cold efficiency. Turning her attention back to the window, she observed Howard being dragged out from the limited protection of the diner with a sense of dispassionate regret. The grief would come, she knew, but it had been endlessly drilled into her that one always dealt with the bigger picture first; safety was the utmost concern. The casualties could be mourned later.

Turning from the scene of grief that was unfolding before them, Dawn walked over to her dicarded pistol and squatted down to pick it up. Realizing that she was in the state of aftershock as the adrenaline of battle wore off, she allowed herself to ride the wave of dizziness until the swirling state of emotions calmed. She had learned that focusing on something solid always helped her get through the after-battle nerves more quickly. Therefore, she pulled back the slide of the pistol and began inspecting the chamber to determine what caused the misfire. She couldn’t afford another incident like this; she had been lucky this time. Checking her watch, she was surprised that only ten minutes had passed. Everyone in the room had experienced something that had changed their lives forever and it had all happened in ten minutes...

Taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart and jangled nerves, Dawn glanced around the diner to take stock of the situation. Jeep was with Charlie, whispering to her urgently and gesturing towards the broken window she had almost been dragged through. Charlie was shaking and Dawn could see that fearful shock was setting into the girl. This was a good thing; the fear would keep her aware of the dangers. 

Allowing her gaze to continue around the room, she focused on Audrey and watched her move around her mother. Almost as if she felt dawn’s gaze, the young woman tensed and then looked up into her eyes warily. Frowning, Dawn couldn’t shake a sudden wash of Déjà vu. There was something familiar about the girl, something that shouldn’t be. And if Audrey was what Dawn had begun to suspect, they’d just fallen into a whole new level of suck.

Standing up, Dawn caught Michael’s attention and motioned that she was going to the back, pointing to the pistol in her hand to indicate that she needed to reload and restock on the ammunition. Michael nodded in attention, his face closed and an indecipherable look in his eyes. Confused, Dawn turned towards the back of the building and walked away from the churning emotions within the area. She didn’t have time to deal with it; she knew more was coming.

“Where are you going?” Bob demanded.

Dawn looked at him for a long moment, debating the various answers running through her mind and settled on the least offensive. “I’m going to check on our supplies.”

Bob narrowed his eyes, confused. “Why? It’s done. She’s fine.”

Dawn snorted. Shaking her head, she responded, “No, Bob. This was just a test, a test of our strengths…” She sighed. “It’s only going to get worse from here.”

Bob frowned. “What are you talkin’ about?”

Dawn glanced back at the small group, grieving and in shock. She looked back at Bob after a moment and gave a sad smile. “Bob… the next step of any good general is simple; next you test your enemy’s weaknesses.”

And with that statement ringing in the air between them, Dawn pushed past the man and headed to the back.


End file.
